The Winter Car Kit

I am currently on Christmas break... which is glorious!  I am drinking peppermint hot chocolate, watching Criminal Minds while Nate naps.  Dinner is in the crockpot, laundry is in the dryer... everything on today's To-Do List has been crossed off.  With all my ducks in a row I still take the time to think about the what is situations.  Yesterday I put the finishing touches on my winter car kit, an emergency kit I keep in my car just in case.

My basic winter car kit includes:

• Boots and Warm Socks
• Mittens/ Gloves for me and Nate
• Scarf
• Hat for me/Hat for Nate
• Blanket
• Folding Shovel
• Ice scraper/Snow Brush

This year I added a few extra items that hopefully I will never need:

• Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector
• Bottled Water in Ziplock Bag
• Shelf Stable Meals -- I found these at Target
• Tow Strap
• Empty Chinese Food Container with Lid (For when you gotta go)

In addition, I always have a flashlight, mylar blanket, razor/box cutter, water proof matches, empty reusable water bottle, baby wipes, hard candy, hand sanitizer, tissues, umbrella, notebook, pen, crayons, and books. 

Hopefully, This prepares me enough for whatever situation I might find my self in.  

Happy Yule! Merry Christmas!

Congratulations!

My friend Becca of The Bedrest Chronicles gave birth to a healthy baby girl on Friday 12/21.  Charlotte Eve is lucky to have such a wonderful family to welcome her into this world. 

Becca will probably kill me for posting this picture, which her husband texted me about 20 minutes after giving birth, but I think she looks phenomenal!!!  Funny story, I text Becca to see if she was still pregnant and this pic was my reply.

Welcome Charlotte!  And Congrats to Asher and Ben for becoming big brothers!

Nap Time Sewing

My husband got me an ipad mini for my birthday, so the other day while Nate was napping I decided to break out some of my much coveted and hoarded Heather Ross "Fish in Bags" fabric and make a little case using these directions. 

It was a super easy, stash busting project, and I am completely delighted with the end result.

And the inside

Weekend Whoas...

Friday evening Nate was playing tag with some friends when he dove out of the way a started to cry.  My mother tried to console him but he didn't stop crying.  By the time I got to her house from work, about 25 minutes had elapsed and he was still crying.  When we tried to figure out what was wrong he kept saying that his shoulder hurt, and fearing a broken bone we took him to the ER.  Jon and my dad met us there and after some x-rays the diagnosis was in... fractured clavicle.  Fractured, not broken, thank God!  These days they don't really do much for a broken collar bone, so they put him in a sling and sent us home.  We followed up with a pediatric orthopedist yesterday, and Nate will have to be in a sling  for 3 weeks but should heal completely with no lasting effects.

This is in the ER waiting to go to x-ray... doesn't he look miserable?

This is the next day in the sling

He is doing really well... taking it slow and not fighting the sling.  Now, to keep him from running around for the next 2 1/2 weeks....

Words for the Littles and the Bigs Alike

I was printing out all of the paperwork to register Nate for Kindergarden when I heard about the school shooting in Connecticut... making the situation all too real for me. 

I have seen this as a way to explain tragedies and disasters to children, but I think they are good words for adults too.  Mr. Rogers is awesome as always.

My New Wreath

I wanted something new and sparkly for the living room this year, so I decided to make an ornament wreath.  They are not really the cheapest wreaths to make unless you have a great deal of shatter-proof ornaments lying around, however, they are pretty to look at.

I didn't take any process shots, but I don;t really think you need any to re-create this project.

Supplies:

1 wire coat hanger 
Many, Many shatter-proof ornaments (I used 4 tubes of large balls and 6 tubes of small balls)
Duct Tape
Coordinating wired ribbon (to make a bow out of and to cover up the duct tape)

Step 1:  Untwist your wire coat hanger so that you can thread the ornaments onto the wire.
Step 2: Put a little piece of tape near the hook end of the coat hanger to act as a stop so the ornaments don't just slide right off.
Step 3: Now add your ornaments!
Step 4:  When you have the wreath the size and density you want, twist and then duct tape the 2 ends of the hanger back together again.
Step 5:  Make a big fluffy bow and wire it, or tie it onto the wreath to cover up the twisted wire ends and the duct tape.

Holiday Decorations

The tree is up and decorated and I am starting to feel more in the holiday mood.  This, I'm sure, has a lot to do with the fact that my cold is abating.

And I found a wonderful new menorah at HomeGoods a month or so ago.

Gingerbread House 2012

Here is my tip for easy gingerbread house assembly with small children:  The night before you want to decorate the house, hot glue it together.  That way the next day you can get right to decorating and it won't fall apart.  Works every time! 

Happy Hannukah!

A Completely Crazy (Maybe, Partially) Wish List

I have these crazy day dreams.  They involve farm houses and fields.  Vegetable gardens and fruit trees.  Bee hives, chickens, and goats. In these day dreams I don't have an outside job.  There are lots of dogs milling around, it is always spring or summer and I still have all the luxuries of modern life; so, in short, there is not a lot of reality on these daydreams, but that is what day dreams are all about.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to put together a completely ridiculous wish list to go along with my daydream:

All American Pressure Canner -- For canning low acid foods that are not safe to can in a water bath canner

From Amazon.com

Big Bereky Water Filter -- Even in my daydreams and I skeptical of the water quality

From Amazon.com

Weck Canning Jars -- Because they are pretty and I will need to preserve my harvest

Weckjars.com

Alexandria Chicken Coop & Run -- For the chickens of course

From Williams-Sonoma

Bee Hives -- For the bees of course

From Williams-Sonoma

Hand Crank Grain Mill -- Because I will be milling my own flour

From Williams-Sonoma

Semester Break Plans

There are 2 weeks left in this semester... 2 weeks... and then a blissful 3 weeks off.  An extended break between the fall and spring semester is a perk of working in higher education, a perk I appreciate fully.  I try to use the time off to get projects finished around the house and here is what is on the docket for this year:

1.  Re-organize the pantry.  I know the space is being poorly utlized I have to find a way to remedy that.
2.  Take the train table out, bring the art table in.  Nate is pretty much finished playing with his train table (not the trains, just the table) so that is on its way out and a child sized table and chairs will be taking its place.  This and #1 will require a
3.  Trip to Ikea
4.  Clean the carpets.  Not fun but much needed.
5.  Do crafts with Nate, get outside when possible, MOVE, set up playdates, relax and enjoy my family.

Holiday Baking

For some reason I am not really in the mood to do any holiday baking.  This is seriously out of character because I love to bake all the time... who knows.  Anyway I will be doing some and here is what I have planned:

1.  Peanut Butter Fudge
2.  Maple Walnut Fudge
3.  Pitzells
4.  Peppermint Bark

And I think that is going to be it.  

The stitches are out!

I had the stitches taken out of my finger today which means that I don't have to wear a bag over my hand in the shower anymore! But still no doing dishes... the doctor was very specific about that... ;)

Before:

After:

36 (Completely Random) Things About Me Now that I am 36

1.  I bite my nails
2.  I pick at my cuticles
3.  I LOVE chicken Tikka Masal
4.  I am afraid of squirrels
5.  I have watched Gone with the Wind over 40 times
6.  I really like watching the Walking Dead, but it scares the Bejeezus out of me.
7.  I am 100% convinced that a hand is going to shoot out from under the door to my crawl space and grab at me.
8.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Nate's malapropisms. My favs being "munchball" for "Munchkin" and "whip" instead of "whisk."
9.  I love playing scrabble and Words with Friends even though I lose every time.
10.  My favorite animal is a river otter
11.  My favorite books are the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
12.  I think I am addicted to Target
13.  I am way too impatient to sew.  I sew all the time but cut corners and make a ton of mistakes
14.  I got my first set of stitches from an accident when I was 35
15.  When I was pregnant I craved OJ and Lemonade constantly.
16.  I have on more than one occasion laughed myself into an asthma attack
17.  I make wonderful bread from scratch
18.  Despite my best efforts my house is never truly clean
19.  As much as I profess being green and recycling, sometimes I just want things gone so I throw them in the trash
20.  I don't like being "mean mommy"
21.  At 5:00 am I would like to outsource my parenting to... well to anyone who would take it
22.  I am currently trying to brew my own Kombucha
23. I am not a morning person

24. I am not really a night person either
25.  I think I have a few good hours in the middle of the day ;)
26.  I am working to instill a sense of charity in Nate
27.  Snickers baby... the only way to go
28.  I learned how to ski once but never practiced the skill
29.  I taught myself how to knit
30.  I have fired a gun
31.  I don't like planning birthday parties
32.  My reader is a strange mix of mom blogs, craft blogs, and doomsday prepper blogs
33.  My ipod has way more Ke$ha on it than I would like to admit
34.  I have never been further west than West Virginia
35.  I still understand enough spanch to get the jokes on Sabado Gigante
36.  I actually still have penpals... and we have been corresponding for 20 and 21 years

The Holiday Season

So the "holiday season" is upon us.  Christmas is still 22 days away but Chanukkah is a mere 5 days (uh oh) away.  I have taken down the Thanksgiving decorations, but I haven;t put them away yet... maybe tomorrow and I certainly haven't decorated for Chistmas or Chanukkah yet, maybe that will happen tomorrow too.

I was able to get my cards written and mailed... that is a feat for me.  I have a thing with cards and usually dread the task, but this year I made it easy on myself.  I bought the cards on clearance last year, I am not putting any kind of picture in them, I am only sending card to those people who sent them to me last year.  That last part cut the task down quite a bit. 

I am not stressing about it.  The tree will get put up.  The candles will get lit.  The present will get wrapped (maybe)... It will be all good.